MOSCOW – The Russian military on Thursday conducted massive drills in Crimea involving dozens of navy ships, hundreds of warplanes and thousands of troops in a show of force amid tensions with Ukraine.
The maneuvers were described as the largest since Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and threw its weight behind separatist insurgents in eastern Ukraine.
The exercise comes amid increasing violations of a cease-fire in Ukraine's east and a massive Russian troops buildup on the border with Ukraine that raised Western concerns.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the Crimean maneuvers involve more than 60 ships, over 10,000 troops, around 200 aircraft and about 1,200 military vehicles.